


The Zone

by MarqArts (HenryMercury)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Digital Art, Hogwarts Library, M/M, Studying, newts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 04:56:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14908757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HenryMercury/pseuds/MarqArts
Summary: “They’re not called theNice Easy Wizarding Tests,Harry!”





	The Zone

**Author's Note:**

> I drew this while listening to a lot of catch-up uni lectures, so if you'd like to read the individual book titles (some of them are funny?) then find the zoomable version [on my tumblr](http://henrymercury.tumblr.com/image/174802090697).

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/154387452@N06/27873705757/in/dateposted/)

The zoned-out peace Harry’s been basking in is savagely broken by a sharp kick to his left shin.

“No,” he mumbles, forehead still pressed against his arms, which shield it from the hard surface of the library table.

“What have you got for the last question on the Defence practice paper we got last lesson?” Draco asks. “I’m thinking it’s C, ‘a bezoar’, but that seems so obvious it’s probably a trick question—”

Harry only got through a quarter of the practice exam before he decided to break for a nap, but Draco is audibly crumbling, so he blinks himself back into the world and leans over to look at the question.

“Yeah,” he says, “it’s C. You’re just overthinking it.”

“One can’t overthink anything. Only underthink it,” says Draco. Very fast.

Harry pauses and takes in the mug sitting in front of him. It’s the purple one Pansy gave him for Christmas, and Harry knows that it says ‘Don’t @ Me’ across the front—not that he can read any of the words with the strings and tags of at least sixteen teabags obscuring them. The jar of sugar Draco brought to put in his tea was full just a few hours ago.

“Er,” Harry begins cautiously, “I’m pretty sure you _can_. Because not everyone is as smart as you, so thinking more about the stuff they say or do won’t actually help you figure out what they meant. If they didn’t really mean anything too deep to begin with.”

“Or,” Draco says, taking a disturbingly wide-eyed chug from his abominable tea potion, “you just think that because you haven’t investigated the matter thoroughly enough.”

“No, I really—”

“They’re not called the _Nice Easy Wizarding Tests_ , Harry!”

Harry slips his wand out of his robe pocket and casts a wordless spell to vanish the contents of Draco’s mug and sugar jar.

“What was that for?” Draco all but shrieks.

Madam Pince, who’s probably been glaring at them for some time now, starts to exhibit signs of moving towards them. Harry casts a second charm, hastily, to keep their conversation private.

“I’ve half a mind to go and study with Granger,” Draco mutters bitterly.

“No you haven’t.” The last time Draco and Hermione studied together they both had to be physically hauled to the hospital wing for some anti-dehydration potions. Harry and Ron had taken a solemn oath never to let them at it again.

“If you thought a bit more about it you’d realise that actually I _do_.”

“If _you_ thought a bit more about the fact that these are _only exams_ then maybe you’d see that it’s not worth pushing yourself so hard you don’t make it out of eighth year alive,” Harry argues. “There’s more to life.” He slides a hand over Draco’s thigh, squeezing illustratively.

“You’re not getting a shag out of this, Potter.”

Harry puts on his best innocent face. “Did I ask for one?”

Draco rolls his eyes. “Even a superficial analysis of context right now would suggest that _yes,_ you did at least make the suggestion.”

Draco shifts away, the edge of his boot meeting Harry’s shin again. By this point in the year Harry’s got a permabruise there. He takes his hand away, folds his arms and cushions his head upon them once more.


End file.
